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Jon Bon Jovi Shares His Thoughts on Taylor Swift

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

Jon Bon Jovi is the latest rock star to weigh in on Taylor Swift. Like the many rockers before him, JBJ is also in awe of the massive pop star.

Bon Jovi heaped praise on Swift in a new interview with Variety saying she’s “created an industry” with her music and touring. He noted of Swift, “She’s not trying to be something that she’s not, and it is connected with an audience that is unique.”

Other Rockers Who Have Praised Taylor Swift

Bon Jovi is in good company when it comes to praising Swift. Back in March, Eddie Vedder talked about the pop star and her fanbase in an interview with Mojo.

The Pearl Jam frontman detailed his experience of attending a Taylor Swift show with one of his daughters. He talked about how much of a community Swifties were, particularly with their practice of making friendship bracelets and trading them with other fans at shows.

Vedder noted, “The craziest thing was it reminded me of punk rock crowds, of being aligned with all of the misfits in our town, back in the day. It was galvanizing and powerful.”

Bon Jovi Plays Surprise Club Show in Nashville

Bon Jovi played a surprise club show in Nashville on Friday, June 7 during the grand opening of JBJ’s, a new bar and restaurant in Music City owned by Jon Bon Jovi.

Per Setlist.fm, the surprise show only had a five-song setlist, which managed to feature classic hits and deep cuts. The mini-set kicked off with “Blood on Blood” from the 1988 Bon Jovi album New Jersey. That was followed by “We Weren’t Born to Follow” off of 2009’s The Circle. Next was the Slippery When Wet hit “You Give Love a Bad Name,” followed by the New Jersey hit “Born to Be My Baby.” Bon Jovi then closed the set with “Legendary” off of the band’s latest album Forever.

The performance is significant news, considering his ongoing vocal issues stemming from his continued recovery from vocal cord surgery. As for what JBJ sounded like, Ultimate Classic Rock noted he “appeared pitchy by strong.” Despite his voice gaining strength, Jon told The Guardian that a tour to support the new album Forever just isn’t in the cards.

“I’m more than capable of singing again,” said Bon Jovi. “The bar is now: can I do two and a half hours a night, four nights a week? The answer is no.”

Despite that unfortunate news, it still sounds like JBJ isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. Here’s hoping his recovery will continue.

What Can Fans Expect at JBJ’s?

@jbjsnash

An exclusive first look inside JBJ's Nashville! 👏 We've been working hard on Broadway, and we can't wait to open our doors to you THIS SATURDAY! #jonbonjovi

♬ Wanted Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi

The brief video clip above shows that JBJ’s is decked out in many photos and artifacts from the 40+ year history of Bon Jovi. The bar/restaurant’s website states, “Renowned as a singer, songwriter, musician, actor, restaurateur, and philanthropist, Jon has always been drawn to the lyrical tales of Music City.” 

The website further notes that JBJ’s “will be the premier destination for music, dining, and entertainment with its five-story venue, complete with two rooftop spaces, promises an unforgettable experience at the corner of Broadway and Fourth Avenue.”

As for the food and drink menu, patrons can expect a “unique menu inspired by Bon Jovi’s roots in Jersey and Nashville” including a selection of appetizers, salads, burgers/sandwiches and more. While the food menu doesn’t boast fun Bon Jovi-themed items, the drink menu is filled with them. Cocktails include the whiskey-based “Tommy,” the gin-based “Gina,” the tequila-based “Bad Medicine” and, of course, Hampton Water Frosé, which is a slushie drink of the rosé brand owned by Jon Bon Jovi and his son, Jesse.

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights

 

10 Times Rockers Praised Taylor Swift

  • Dave Grohl

    Dave Grohl recalled a time when Taylor Swift bailed him out of a jam. Both musicians were attending a party hosted by Paul McCartney. At one point, Sir Paul started playing a song on the piano. After he was done, people at the party turned to Grohl and said he should play a song next. There were two problems, though: Grohl doesn’t know how to play the piano, and he said he was “a little out of sorts” at that point (wink-wink). Swift jumps in and volunteers to play a song, and she decides to play the Foo Fighters song “Best of You.” However, due to Grohl being “a little out of sorts,” it took him a bit to realize what song she was playing, even though he wrote it.

  • Stevie Nicks

    Stevie Nicks said to the crowd at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta in May 2023, “Thank you to Taylor Swift for doing this thing for me, and that is writing a song called ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid.'” (“You’re On Your Own, Kid” is featured on Swift’s 2022 album Midnights. The track peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number eight.)

    “That is the sadness of how I feel,” Nicks continued. “As long as Chris was, even on the other side of the world, we didn’t have to talk on the phone. We really weren’t phone buddies. Then we would go back to Fleetwood Mac, and we would walk in, and it would be like ‘Little sister, how are you?’ It was like never a minute had passed, never an argument in our entire 47 years. Never.”

    Nicks closed saying, “So, when it was the two of us, the two of us were on our own, kids. We always were, and now, I’m having to learn to be on my own, kid, by myself. So, you help me to do that. Thank you.”

  • Bono

    Back in October 2022, U2’s Bono said, “I’m a Swiftie” in an appearance on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show alongside Swift. Host Graham Norton if the two ever worked together before. Swift said, “Not yet. We’re gonna talk about it later.”

    Swift added about Bono, “He’s so nice he sent me roses when I played in Dublin. He doesn’t want to take credit … He’s a truly great person. He’s just that great and thoughtful, just the best there is.” Bono coyly responded, “I better have a drink.”

    Taylor Swift and Bono posing for a photo.

    Charley Gallay/Getty Images

  • Paul Stanley

    The KISS legend shared a photo of himself wearing an “Eras Tour” t-shirt on social media. He captioned the photo, “Took Erin, Sarah and Emily to see Taylor Swift Last Night! 6 shows at SoFi Stadium for a total of A HALF MILLION PEOPLE and I know why… PHENOMENAL SHOW BY A PHENOMENAL ARTIST. Thanks to her staff for rolling out the red carpet for us.”

  • Bruce Springsteen

    In November 2022, Bruce Springsteen had a week-long takeover of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. At that time, there was a lot of buzz around The Boss’ 2023 tour and Taylor Swift’s tour happening at the same time.

    Fallon asked the Boss to confirm a “theory” he and Swift will pop in on each other’s shows thanks to their mutual connection of songwriter/producer Jack Antonoff. Springsteen responded, “I will be, because my daughter is going to make sure I will be at the Taylor Swift show, so I know that. And she’s welcome on E Street anytime.”

  • David Draiman

    The Disturbed frontman shared his desire to work with Taylor Swift in an interview with 93.3 WMMR’s Sara. He said, “I would love to cover a Taylor Swift song. I think that she is one of the most prolific songwriters of our generation. I think she is insanely talented. I’d love to collaborate with Taylor if she ever wanted to, on any given day.”

    Draiman added, “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I think she’s a brilliant woman. I think she’s, like I said, one of the great songwriters of our time. I love her gumption. I love the fact that she gets on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming young female fans and plays a real instrument and sings live and is the real deal.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CwL08c1peOU/

  • David Draiman (Again)

    Draiman, again, publicly praised Swift, and this time, it was during a Disturbed show in January 2024. The singer spotted two 12-year-old girls with their dads in the crowd and brought them on stage. He commented that since the two girls were at the Disturbed show and not at a Swift show they were being raised on rock music. Per Blabbermouth, Draiman then said Swift “still kicks ass,” which led to some booing. The Disturbed frontman sternly told his fans not to boo the singer-songwriter.

    “I will stand up and applaud any pop artist that gets up on stage and sings live and plays a guitar live in front of a whole group of f—ing thousands of girls and guys, young fans,” said Draiman. ” … She’s making sure that an entire generation of new music fans understand what it means to actually play music live.”

  • Eddie Vedder

    Eddie Vedder heaped praise on pop superstar Taylor Swift and her fanbase in a March 2024 interview with Mojo.

    The Pearl Jam frontman detailed his experience of attending a Taylor Swift show with one of his daughters. He talked about how much of a community Swifties were, particularly with their practice of making friendship bracelets and trading them with other fans at shows.

    Vedder noted, “The craziest thing was it reminded me of punk rock crowds, of being aligned with all of the misfits in our town, back in the day. It was galvanizing and powerful.”

    Vedder even got in on the friendship bracelet action. His wife Jill shared the photo below when the family attended a Swift “Eras Tour” show in Seattle in July 2023.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CvDN6_kperz/

  • Eddie Vedder (Again), but this time with Jeff Ament

    Vedder and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast in May 2024. The topic of Swift came up, and Ament had some interesting comments.

    He said, “I think she’s, you know, I think she’s not afraid to change and change in a way that maybe is kind of anti-pop in some ways, you know? Which is, I have huge props for that.”

    Vedder added, ” … She’s incredibly prolific, so she’s able to just kind of keep putting out music and putting out music.”

  • Billie Joe Armstrong

    In June 2024, the Green Day frontman shared a photo of himself at a stop on “The Eras Tour,” while rocking some friendship bracelets.

    Armstrong captioned the photo, “Just saw Taylor Swift eras tour in Lyon France!! Great production. Great voice. Great entertainer. Great songwriting. Crazy crowd. People even shared with me some friendship bracelets. Thanks a million @taylorswift.”

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Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter
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